Chemmeen (1965)

Chemmeen is a Malayalam romance directed by Ramu Kariat, adapted from Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's novel of the same name, with a screenplay by S. L. Puram Sadanandan. Karuthamma (Sheela), a fisherman's daughter, and Pareekkutty (Madhu), a trader's son, share a romance that continues even after her marriage. Their story is framed by a coastal legend in which the Sea Goddess punishes a married fisherwoman's infidelity. Sathyan plays Palani, Adoor Bhavani plays Chakki and Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair plays Chambankunju, with Adoor Pankajam, Latha Raju and S. P. Pillai also in the cast. Ramu Kariat bought the rights to the novel for Rs 8,000, and the film was made under the Kanmani Films banner on a budget of Rs 8 lakh. Salil Chowdhury made his South Indian debut as composer, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee edited. Marcus Bartley shot the outdoor portions before leaving the project, after which U. Rajagopal completed the work. Filming took place at Nattika beach in Thrissur and Varkala Beach in Thiruvananthapuram.